


I See The Light

by clarkemanship



Category: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (TV)
Genre: Awkward FaceTime Calls, Clothes Montage, Coffee Shop, Ex-Girlfriend, F/M, Fluff, Friendship to Love, Mo Is A Good Friend Again, Team Max, Tiny bit of Angst, Zoey And Max Are So Clueless, envelope, heart song, meteor showers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26279593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarkemanship/pseuds/clarkemanship
Summary: Can Zoey make it through an intimate "date" with Max without one thing going wrong? Takes place a few months after the season finale.(Mention of Mitch's death, and minimal swear words so beware)
Relationships: Eddie/Mo (Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist), Zoey Clarke & Max Richman, Zoey Clarke/Max Richman
Comments: 19
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter One: The End Is Just The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Already, things get a little awkward between these oblivious soulmates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you see the title, you may or may not get hints as to what is about to come.  
> As well, this is not edited, so it might be a mess!
> 
> Thank you to the Zoey/Max nation for being there, this one is for you. <3
> 
> I am just borrowing Austin's characters for a tiny bit!

“What is this, Zoey?”

Max was holding a tan envelope that had a leaf imprinted on a rose gold wax seal. He fiddled with the pretty paper in his hand, while he watched Zoey, blushing, playing with a string on her hot pink sweater. She looked up smiling dorky.

“I thought that you would want to come with me to the planetarium. There is a meteor shower tomorrow, and I had a feeling that you would want to come. Unless you don’t want to! I know that things have been weird between us, so I can return the tickets. Just let me know, and-”

“Zo.” Max chuckled. _I love her little rants._

“Yes?”

“Of course, I want to go. Just one question. Why the envelope, though?” Max looked into her eyes absorbing the blue sparkle that he adored.

“Oh! Well, the tickets came that way, so I just decided to give it to you. We both know that I would lose them.” They both laughed.

“That was a good call then.” As the laughs died down, he put the tickets on the front table. Max had no clue what to say or do next. For the first time in 5 years, there was an awkward pause during one of their conversations. Zoey coughed diverting her attention to the ground.

“I guess I will see you tomorrow night at 8!”

“Yep! Bye, Zoey.” He softly rubbed her arm lingering for as long as he could. Zoey glanced at his hand and then looked in his eyes. A sad smile flickered on her face, but she masked it with a blindingly beautiful smile. Only Max would know it was fake. Only Max would notice the pain that she was hiding.

“Zo. Are you okay?” He stopped her from leaving once again putting his hand on her arm. When she turned toward him, he looked at her with as much care he could muster. She smiled again, still seeming unsure.

“Yeah.” Zoey nodded as if she had to convince herself. “See you, Max.”

“See you soon.” He softly grinned before closing the door as the little redhead walked out of view. Max stared at the peephole while his thoughts raced through his mind. _What is going on in her head? She would tell me if anything was up. Right? I know that Mitch has been gone for a few months, but Zoey would never hide those feelings from me._

Max turned around to walk to his desk. He sat down in the chair sweeping his fingers across the closed laptop that was laying on the wooden table. _Maybe this will be good. A break from the constant grieving and a chance to really get back to who they were._ Max’s eyes moved to a picture of him and Zoey on their first day at SPRQ Point. They decided the photo would be a perfect way to capture the blossoming friendship. _Friendship._ That word stung now for him. Max told her that he would wait for however long she needed him to, but he didn’t know how long he could anymore. She was his whole world and more, and everyday Max wondered if he was hers.

He opened the laptop, and continued his search for a job, trying to forget the women he loved for at least half an hour.

* * *

“How can he do that, Mo?” Zoey walked into Mo’s apartment pacing back and forth facing him before turning away.

“Are you really asking me how Max can read your emotions? The man that has been hopelessly in love with you for 5 years? The guy who has been there for you every step of the way? The dude who knows you better than you know yourself?” She just stared at him blankly. “My god, Zoey! You are even more oblivious than I thought.”

“I guess you are right, but do you think he knows? Like really knows.” Mo rolled his eyes.

“Knows the fact that you love him? Surprisingly, no. It is obvious to everyone except you two.”

“I don’t think it is _that_ obvious.” He passed her a knowing smirk. _Was it obvious? I thought I did a good job of hiding it, though it seems that some form of love might have been shown during our many Face Time calls with Max or even when he came over for movie night. Did he notice the times that she let her guard down? If he did, it didn’t seem like he knew. Max must have hid his emotions to protect me, hurting himself in the process._

“Sure, Zoey. Sure.” Mo started to push Zoey out of his living room into the hallway. She obliged, because she knew not to mess with him. “Now you need to go figure out how to tell Maxie that you are head over heels with him in your _own_ apartment. Eddie has been waiting for me in the other room, and you interrupted.” Zoey looked over her shoulder to him. He winked at her expectantly. “Bye, child.”

“Bye-,“ she chuckled, as Mo slammed the door in her face. “-Mo.” _I guess he can do that after a few months of friendship._ Zoey walked a few feet into her own living room in front of her quickly sliding off the shoes on her tired feet. She slumped over flopping onto the couch. Zoey could deal with her heart later, but for now, she needed to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Zoey woke up to a few texts and one missed Face Time call from Max. It was 8 am, so of course he was awake. They always woke up early in the morning to grab a cup of coffee and walked to work together, but even when he lost his job, they maintained a breakfast routine for awhile. It all stopped when her father died, but he continued to wake when the sun came up. That was one thing that Zoey loved about him.

She groggily sat up wiping the remains of any drool on her face. Calling Max, she quickly fixed her hair in the phone camera. Not like he cared, but she still wanted to look the tiniest bit presentable. A few seconds later, a smiling face appeared on her screen, making her insides flutter.

“Hey!” Max grinned at the half-awake monster on the other side of his screen.

“Hey, Max. How are you?” She croaked.

“I am good! I just wanted to check in on you. We didn’t discuss transportation arrangements the other day, so I wanted to confirm some things with you. I thought maybe I could pick you up, and we could go out for dinner before the meteor shower.”

 _Oh._ She totally forgot about that part. Before she could quickly gather her thoughts, Max interrupted.

“If that is totally fine with you! I just had something to talk to you about.”

Zoey’s heart started racing, and her brain flooded with worry. _Maybe he really did notice yesterday, and he wanted to tell me that he wasn’t interested in me anymore. Maybe he was going to date Autumn again. Was he going to confront her?_

“Yeah! That is fine with me.” She should have found a better way to respond, but her brain wasn’t thinking rationally. It shouldn’t be okay with _Zoey_ , Max was the one who has been waiting for 5 years. He is the one that should be making a decision about their relationship. She didn’t deserve Max.

“See you soon then, Zo.” He stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes in a silly goodbye gesture.

“Love you, dork.” She rolled her eyes as she started to end the call. Max’s face went to instant surprise as he registered what she said.

“Wait, wh-,”

The call ended as Zoey realized what just happened.

_Holy shi-_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy! This should be about 2 chapters and a short epilogue. 
> 
> PS: I love kudos and comments (they make my day!)


	2. Chapter Two: New Hope For The Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-"date" preparations for both Max and Zoey (and a few unexpected guests)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is still yet to come....  
> This chapter is a little more edited by me, and my sister read the first part over. It should be better! 
> 
> Thank you to the Zoey/Max nation again! Love you guys!
> 
> I am just borrowing Austin's characters for a tiny bit longer. (Also, yay to the new updates on season two)

_So much for trying to hide her emotions._ Zoey slammed her head on the back of the couch cushions groaning as she went. _It just slipped out._ She definitely didn’t want to admit _it_ that way, but maybe the whole situation wasn’t as bad as she thought. _Max could have interpreted it a different way_ , she tried to convince herself, but it was only partially successful. He would mutter the L word to her only on special occasions to show how much he cared, but Max only uttered that word when her father died and through her heart songs (and the time that he kissed her, which she would never forget that day for multiple reasons). They never said it casually, though she didn’t doubt that they both occasionally came close to making the mistake. Zoey shook her head, blindly rising from the couch. She walked to the shower, stripping her dirty clothes from the day as the warm water heated the shower.

* * *

For next few hours, Zoey asked Mo to help her accessorize and dress for the afternoon. It wasn’t supposed to be a _date_ per say, but she still wanted to look nice for Max. Though, he wouldn’t care what she wore, and Zoey knew that was true. Hell, the entire world knew it, and Mo made sure she possessed that knowledge. While he lectured her in between the bedroom door, she tried on all the dresses in her closet. It took a tiny bit of time, due to the fact that Mo criticized every outfit, but finally found the perfect dress. She modeled a knee length, midi dress with a button front and a sleeveless frock. The purple floral pattern contrasted with her hair perfectly.

“Zoey, if this boy’s eyes don’t fall out of his head tonight, I am going back to Team Simon.” She groaned, rolling her eyes.

“Come on, Mo. You know that the whole Simon ship has sailed, and plus, you were never _really_ on his team. Were you?” He ignored the question, instead taking out his makeup and accessories kit. Zoey walked into the bathroom, Mo following behind.

“So, what are you planning to do tonight?” He took out the hairbrush trying to straighten the poofy, red curls that floated over her shoulders.

“Well, Max is picking me up to go to a restaurant, and then we are going to the planetarium to watch the meteor shower.”

“So, a date?” She whipped her head around, face flushed.

“Not really.” She squeaked. Mo exasperated, signaling her to turn back around. “I mean, I want it to be a date, but things are too awkward since last night.” He stopped in his tracks; eyes open with curiosity.

“Zozo, spill!” She sighed, taking her time to confess.

“I may or may not have dropped the L bomb to him,” Zoey quickly backed up the statement, so Mo wouldn’t be too flustered. “But it was casual! We didn’t even get the chance to talk about it, because I ended the call. Not like it would be a fun conversation to have anyway.” Zoey muttered the last part. “I was planning to tell him over dinner, but now the car ride will be weird, and I really regret the whole thing.” She nuzzled her head in her hands hoping to escape from the _harsh_ realities of love.

“Hold up! You told Max that you loved him on a call, but left that boy alone to over-analyze it all?” He emphasized each phrase making her feel even more embarrassed about it all.

“Yep.”

“Damn, you really did mess things up.” She groaned again.

“I know, Mo! Why does the universe hate me?”

“I don’t know, but let me fix something, while you get your life together.” Zoey adjusted into back into position, so he could continue fixing her messy hair. _This was going to be an interesting night._

* * *

_Did Zoey really say what he thinks she said? Did the love of his life just casually say “love you, dork”, thinking that he wouldn’t notice?_ Of course Max would notice. Max noticed every single thing that she said or did, so it didn’t really surprise him. He just couldn’t believe that she said it so casually like they were more than _friends_. Max was already getting mixed signals from her, and this stumped him even more. This was the one of the only times where he had no idea what was going on with the woman he loved the most. It was a weird feeling that he didn’t know existed between them. All their past interactions had been smooth and easy; their thoughts on the same wavelength, but ever since the funeral, they had lost the flow. Mitch’s death affected Zoey, as expected, but he didn’t grasp how much it would. He had never seen her so devastated, and all he wanted to do was shield her from all the pain in the world. Zoey’s pain or stress was his kryptonite. No matter if he got hurt in the process, he would do anything to help her.

Max didn’t dare to text her about the whole _situation,_ because he knew it would be best for Zoey to confront it instead. He made a promise, and he was a man of his word. If she waited until the end of the universe, he would too, so she wasn’t lonely.

While he obsessed over his whole reason for living, Max started to lay out some clothes. He considered going completely casual, but being the overthinker he was, decided on a button up collared shirt that was tucked in with some jeans. Just for good measure, he grabbed a blouson jacket in case he got cold (or mostly if Zoey did).

Max was so caught up on the fact that he would be hanging out with _just_ Zoey ever since the night of the funeral, that he forgot where he wanted to go. He needed to get coffee. Even though it looked like he was awake on the outside, he just wanted to fall asleep. Max had been up all night thinking about today, so it was obvious that he felt a little tired this morning. He quickly grabbed some shoes and headed out the door toward the Golden Gate Grind. It was a sunny morning, so he hoped that it was a good sign for the ‘date’. No matter how hard he tried, he still couldn’t get Zoey out of his head. Well, until he noticed Autumn working at the counter. Max hadn’t really talked to her since he came into the coffee shop last time after they broke up.

_You're a self-important, arrogant nerd who dresses like a third grader, and I never want to see you in here again._

He shivered at the memory. It was also the night that Zoey’s father fell. _Zoey._ He was supposed to be forgetting about her right now. _Just walk into the coffee shop!_ Max quickly threw himself inside, walking up to the counter. He swayed front and back as he shoved his hands in his pockets. There was a blonde girl with her back only in sight. She was busy getting a cup of coffee for another customer, so people in line couldn’t see who the mystery barista was, though, Max knew exactly who was there.

“Hey, Autumn.” Max said cautiously, keeping his gaze on the floor. She gave him a friendly smile, but it still looked tense.

“Hey, Max! Your regular?”

“Yeah. Thank you!” He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck awkwardly.

“So…” She said after picking up a coffee cup, trying to make conversation. “How have you and Zoey been?”

“I am doing okay. Well, I have been trying to pick the pieces of my life back up actually. I got fired from my job recently.” He paused to look at Autumn. She genuinely looked shocked and concerned for him, which made him the tiniest bit happy that she wasn’t a blood thirsty monster who wanted to see him suffer. “Also, Zoey’s dad just died a few months back, so there’s that as well.”

“I am so sorry, Max. If there is anything that I can do to help you guys, please let me know.” Autumn smiled sympathetically, handing the hot, black coffee to him. Max smiled back.

“Thanks, Autumn. Have a good day.”

“You too!” He retreated to the door before quickly glancing back to Autumn. She was laughing with one of the other baristas, both were smiling from ear to ear. _Maybe today will be a good day._

* * *

Zoey stood in front of the mirror as she admired herself. Mo did an amazing job, like always, choosing the perfect outfit for the occasion. Her hair, makeup, and outfit all looked perfect in every way possible. She glanced at her phone to read the time, then took a deep breath. Zoey was ready. Ready to tell Max she loved him.

_Knock._

She swiftly ran up to the door, maybe too quickly, opening it without thought. Her breath immediately caught when she saw the man on the other side.

“Hey, Zoey.”

“Simon.” She squeaked. “What are _you_ doing here?”

“I thought I would drop by a grief basket. I didn’t know if you ran out of Oreos yet.” He chuckled softly, holding out the container. She grabbed it putting it on the table next to her. “Can I come in? I kind of need to talk to you.” Zoey panicked glancing around the hallway to see if Max was coming.

“Yeah, sure.” Simon followed her inside, both of them hesitating.

“So what’s the special occasion?”

“What are you talking about?

“You usually never wear dresses. You look nice.” Zoey blushed at the complement. _Stop! You love Max, but still._ Simon was her old crush, so she felt a little weak in the knees.

“Uh thanks. Max and I are going to a meteor shower tonight, so yeah.” He bowed his head a little bit in resignation. There was a short silence after this, as they both thought of what to say or even do.

“Oh, sounds fun. How is Max? I haven’t really seen him in awhile since he was fired.”

“He is doing well.”

“That’s good! And how are you doing?” He immediately explained himself. “You know… With everything.” Simon waved his hand up in the hair at that last word.

“Really great actually!” It was mostly true. For once in a long time, she felt happy. Happy with herself, happy with the world, happy with Max. _Max._

“I’m glad. You deserve to be happy.” She smiled pushing a red curl behind her ear. He quickly coughed to end the conversation. “Well, I am going to go now! Hope you have fun tonight.”

“Bye, Simon. Thanks for the grief basket.” She pulled him into a quick hug, holding on for as long as she could. Zoey had a weird feeling like she was never going to really bond with Simon again. A feeling that everything was going to go _so_ well tonight. It was something had never felt before, and it was a pleasant, but melancholy sensation that ran through her brain and throughout her heart.

Too soon for her comfort, he let go, sending a soft smile her way. He left. The feeling flowed through her body, as Zoey thought about the future, yet she didn’t realize that her future was standing right outside the door.

“Hey, Zo. Your door was open, so I just decided to let myself in.” Even though she wasn’t facing the door, she would recognize that sweet voice anywhere. She shook herself out of her thoughts turning around to see Max casually leaning on the wall. _Woah._ Zoey forgot everything that had happened in her entire life, because all she could focus on was him. _When did he look so hot? Did he always look that way? Jeez, no human should look that sexy._ He finally looked up, his eyes sparkling with adoration. “Wow, Zoey, you look amazing.” _I love this man._

Zoey had completely forgotten that she was wearing the purple dress from earlier today, but she returned the compliment. “You clean up pretty well yourself, _Maxwell_.” She grinned, sauntering over to the tall man that was slowly closing the distance between them. When they were finally next to each other, she punched his arm playfully. He laughed and put his arm out for Zoey to link her arm through.

“You ready to go?” Max questioned. She smiled, nodding her head.

“I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I lied to you last time, but it should be 3-4 chapters and an epilogue instead of a few.... sorry about that. 
> 
> If anyone wants to see the inspiration for Zoey’s dress: https://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/spring-sensation-midi-dress-in-floral/170675.html
> 
> PS: I love kudos and comments, so please make me happy! <3


End file.
